Bound
by dk-joy
Summary: At the lake, Naoe is given a choice. He can be stuck in the mirror with Kagetora, or he can borrow the other Tsutsuga mirror and let Kagetora out. What if his choices were different?
1. Bound

Warnings and Disclaimer: I don't own Mirage of Blaze. What? Neither do you! I'm just borrowing the characters…

Shounen ai (Naoe x Kagetora/Takaya), some OOCness and AUness, language…

Summary – At the lake, Naoe is given a choice. He can be stuck in the mirror with Kagetora, or he can borrow the other Tsutsuga mirror and let Kagetora out. What if his choices were different?

I don't use much of the plot of the actual end of the story. I'm sorry if I don't describe in detail what actually happens and stuff like that. I don't even use a lot of the bad guy's names. This is just my sick little imagination working overtime. I feel bad for doing this to Naoe. Now…how to get him out of this…

Bound

_We'll let him out of the mirror if you submit to a Greater Binding…_

Kagetora woke up on a boat. Alone. He didn't know how he had gotten there, he just knew that he finally remembered. He remembered his life from four hundred years ago as Lord Kagetora. He also remembered all of his lives after that…

"Naoe, you bastard! How could you do that to me?" He screamed, knowing no one was there to hear him. His "loyal" bodyguard, Naoe had forced Kagetora's soul into the body of the woman he loved thirty years ago. His body had died, and Naoe had used his love as a vessel so that he wouldn't have to deal with the loss. That betrayal was more than Kagetora was willing to forgive.

Then the knowledge from his current life as Takaya Ougi kicked in. He looked around in the boat and realized the key was still in the ignition. He started thinking about how he needed to get to shore so he could deal with all the problems Kagetora's blood relatives were causing. The Feudal Underworld… He started the boat's engine and took off for shore. Naoe's punishment could come later…

In the forest near the lake…

The heated coins that were pressed into his wrists caused the clearing to reek with the odor of burnt flesh. Naoe shook with the effort it took not to scream. He purposely avoided thinking about Lord Kagetora and why this was happening to him. He knew that Kagetora would sense his pain if he allowed it. But he didn't want his master to know. He didn't want his master to know until… until it was too late. It wouldn't change Kagetora's mind about him anyway.

The Fuuma ninja held his arm to keep him still. It was unnecessary. Naoe refused to move. He had to do this. It was punishment at least, maybe even atonement.

The priests around them chanted, their voices rising and falling like wind in a storm. Naoe could feel what they were doing to him. To his soul. A Greater Binding. He couldn't stop shaking.

Later, in the same clearing…

Kagetora ran swiftly through the forest, stopping when a horrible smell assaulted his senses. It smelled like burnt flesh. He felt a flash of panic for a second, and thought of Naoe, but shrugged it off and resumed his dash toward the shrine.

"What am I thinking? If Naoe were hurt, I would feel it. And why would I care if he were hurt? Hasn't he hurt me enough over the years? Why should it bother me?" He talked aloud to himself, chastising himself, but somehow he wasn't completely convinced. He just kept running…

Further into the forest…

Naoe had been running for what seemed like hours. Finally, he gave up. He couldn't make it without help. He felt so weak, so tired. He stopped in a clearing, shaking violently, and cautiously called out to Haruie and Chiaki in his mind, making sure that Kagetora wouldn't hear him too.

"Kagetora-sama is out of the mirror. I'm in the forest outside of the shrine. I…could use some help."

He felt little tendrils of thoughts from them: concern from Haruie and a tinge of curiosity from Chiaki. He didn't attempt to respond. He let himself fall to the ground, hoping to conserve his energy for the fight that was sure to come.

An hour later…

"What the Hell happened to you, Naoe?" Chiaki asked the quivering heap on the grass in front of him.

Naoe raised his head slightly and managed to whisper the word "bound" before losing consciousness.

"What does he mean?" Haruie asked.

Chiaki shrugged as he reached down to pick the larger man up. "How would I…"

"Chiaki?"

"A…a Greater Binding! What the Hell?" Chiaki yelled.

"What? How…" Haruie started to ask.

"Look at his wrists. And the way he's shaking. And… gods! Can you feel that?"

Haruie cocked her head to the side. "Feel what?"

"Exactly. He doesn't even feel like himself anymore. Why…what…how… no. Who did this?"

"How am I supposed to know? We'll have to ask him. When he's conscious again…"

"We can't wait for him to wake up on his own. What if it's too late?" Chiaki started shaking Naoe's body frantically. "Hey! Wake up! Moron! What the Hell did you do to yourself?"

"Chiaki, I doubt he did it to himself…"

"I know that, moron! But he didn't even call for help! He just… let it happen." Chiaki stopped shaking him. "How did he get Kagetora out of the mirror?"

Haruie just stared. "He didn't say, but I'd bet…"

"Those bastards! They love screwing with people's heads. I bet they made him do it in exchange for letting Kagetora out of the mirror!"

They looked down when Naoe moaned in his sleep. "…Kagetora…" A tear slipped down his cheek.

Haruie and Chiaki nodded to each other and started shaking Naoe in an attempt to wake him up. It worked. His shaking increased and his eyes opened. He glared at both of them weakly. They looked at each other again and Haruie nodded to Chiaki.

"What happened, Naoe?" He asked forcefully, in a tone that indicated his intent to learn the story one way or another.

Naoe opened his mouth to speak, but could only cough weakly. Haruie got a water bottle out of her purse and trickled some water into his mouth. "Is that better?" She asked gently.

He nodded and tried to speak again. He managed to croak, "…for…Kagetora…" before he started coughing violently.

Sigh "We're not getting anywhere." Chiaki said. When Haruie glared at him, he just shrugged and said, "What? We're not."

Sigh Haruie got her water bottle back out and trickled water into Naoe's mouth until he put his hand on hers and shook his head. She put the water back up. When she turned around, she saw that Naoe had rolled up his sleeves to show them the burns.

Haruie and Chiaki looked at the burns on his wrists, looked at each other, and nodded. Haruie said, "A Greater Binding, right?" At Naoe's nod, she continued. "Why? And who did this? Was it the Hojo?"

He nodded again, and then he began to speak…

"Something…happened between us," Naoe began, "and he ran away. The next day, I saw his reflection in a mirror and I knew that he had been trapped in the Tsutsuga mirror. I didn't know what to do, but I knew where he was, so I decided to seek out his family. The Hojo clan.

"When I arrived, they immediately escorted me to a room. His body was laying there… without a soul. His soul was trapped in the mirror. I didn't know what to do. They told me that his body had three days to live. I just sat down next to him all day. Then that ninja from the Fuuma clan told me that his soul would be bound to a tree the next day and sacrificed.

"I…thought of a way that we could be together. I plotted and planned and decided that I would pretend to go along with their plans. And then, when the moment came, I would steal the mirror, run away, and… I'd let the mirror eat my soul too. I thought it was the only way we could be together. I didn't plan on someone giving me another option.

"When the time came, I followed the plan. I went along with what they wanted me to do. I made Kagetora's body go into a death-like state. I asked if I could be the one to dump his body into the lake. They said they'd let me. I went out into the lake with a boat. It was just me, Kagetora's body, and the guy they sent to drive the boat. After I asked him how to get to the shrine, I exorcized him and steered toward the shrine. At the shrine, I distracted the guards by throwing the man's crystallized soul at the Tsutsuga beasts and grabbed the mirror. I shook off everyone who was following me and ran to the boat.

"I drove into the center of the lake and was about to let the mirror eat my soul when Kotaro, the Fuuma ninja appeared. He gave me a choice. I could either let the mirror eat my soul and drop to the bottom of the lake with Kagetora or I could…use the other half of the mirror to free Kagetora's soul. I asked what the catch was and he told me.

" 'I'll let him out of the mirror if you submit to a Greater Binding.' He said. 'You keep saving him. Every time I think I can destroy his soul, you find a way to save him. I want you out of the way. You want him to live. We both get what we want.' "

"And you accepted. Just like that?" Chiaki asked.

"What was I supposed to do? Let Kagetora…let Takaya die?" Naoe asked incredulously.

"Your soul is bound to that body now. You are no longer a possessor. When your body dies, your soul will…"

"I know, Chiaki. My soul will probably be destroyed. Or it will go to straight to Hell. Or maybe it will be bound to the body permanently and I'll spend eternity staring at the dirt covering my remains. Who cares!" Naoe had started calmly but ended with an anguished shout.

"Who cares about what?" Kagetora asked from the edge of the clearing…

TBC…


	2. Explanations

Disclaimer: I don't own Mirage of Blaze. Oh well…

Warnings: Shounen ai (Naoe x Kagetora/Takaya), language, OOCness, AU

Explanations

Before Kagetora walked into the clearing, Naoe's head was in Haruie's lap and his hands were gripping her jacket tightly. His body was still shaking from the strain of the binding and the amount of energy he had used. When he heard Kagetora's voice, Haruie felt his body stiffen before his shaking increased exponentially.

While she didn't understand why Kagetora's appearance affected him so much, she knew that if he was forced to endure much more stress, his body would give out and there would be nothing they could do for him. She also had a hunch that Kagetora had no idea what was going on and that she and Chiaki would need to explain what was happening and all it entailed.

To avoid any unpleasant confrontations, she forced Naoe into unconsciousness. She gently removed Naoe's hand from her jacket, then she jabbed her thumb into the burn on his wrist. His whole body jerked violently before going still. She checked his pulse. When she was satisfied that he was merely unconscious, she gently laid his body onto the forest floor and put her jacket on his chest. He gripped it tightly and rolled to his side, legs drawn up toward his chest. He wasn't shaking so badly now.

Kagetora watched all of this in confusion. He didn't understand any of what was going on. All he knew was that his more loyal companions were helping Naoe, the traitor.

He started walking toward Naoe, but found his way quickly blocked by both Haruie and Chiaki. When he was about to yell at them both to get out of his way, Chiaki took a step forward and slapped him. Kagetora could only stare. Then he started getting angry.

Realizing that this could erupt into a serious fight, Haruie stepped between the two men and put one hand on each of their chests. She sighed at their macho posturing, then attempted to direct their attention to the problem at hand.

"Naoe was Bound." She said, as if that explained everything.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kagetora asked. "Who cares anyway?"

Haruie stepped forward to slap Kagetora, but Chiaki stopped her. She glared at him, but he just grinned back. Then she sighed and nodded. Chiaki stepped back smugly, but Haruie quickly took a step forward and slammed her fist into Kagetora's jaw, knocking him to the ground. Both Chiaki and Kagetora stared at her in surprise.

She just shrugged. "He had it coming to him." She said. Chiaki nodded in understanding. Kagetora was just more confused.

"What the Hell was that about!" He yelled at the two of them. Chiaki and Haruie were annoyed at his stupidity and bad attitude.

"He goes and does something like that for you and you still…" Chiaki started.

"What? Something like what?" Kagetora asked, getting more and more confused by the minute. "And who did something for me?"

"Aaahhh!" Chiaki screamed in frustration. "Naoe, you idiot! His soul was bound so you could come out of the mirror!"

"… OK… but what does that mean?" Kagetora asked, knowing that he probably wouldn't like the answer.

Haruie stepped in, calmer now. "His body and soul are bound together."

"Isn't that how it's supposed to be? If they weren't bound, the soul could just fly off."

Chiaki chimed in "maybe you should give him an analogy."

"But which one? The dress?"

"No. Considering his last life, that wouldn't go over too well. How about the ball of rubber?"

"That makes sense! Thanks, Chiaki!" Haruie chirped.

Haruie began her explanation "All right, Kagetora. I'll tell you all about the three types of bonds between body and soul.

"There are three types of bonds. In order of strength, they are the bond between a soul and its original body, the bond between a Possessor's soul and a body he inhabits, and the bond between the soul and body of one on whom a Greater Binding has been performed.

"I say that Possessor bonds are stronger bonds than normal bonds, but this isn't always true. But in general, this is true because a Possessor can pick a body that better fits his soul than his original body if he wants. A normal person must use the body they are given, which may not be as well-suited to their soul as one would like. Of course, if forced, a Possessor may inhabit a body that they cannot bond with. You experienced this in your last life.

"Anyway, to explain the bonds, I need you to imagine a ball of rubber that can be shaped into any type of shoe. The rubber will represent the body, while a foot will represent the soul.

"The bond between a normal body and soul is like a foot with a flip-flop or sandal on it. the soul is only loosely contained by the body. It is relatively easy to take them off by yourself (suicide), for others to take them off (murder), or for them to just slip off (death by old age or accident.) The soul is also more exposed – it is closer to the surface and easier to manipulate.

"The bond between a Possessor and the body they choose is like a pair of sneakers or tennis shoes. They may be hard to get into at first, but once they are on, they are very comfortable and you are less willing to take them off. They are comfortable while running or taking long walks. It's harder to separate a Possessor's soul from a chosen body. Of course, like I said earlier, if they do not like their vessel, the bond can be very weak.

"A Greater Binding is like… having rubber melted directly onto your foot. Not many people would submit to it willingly. If you try to take the shoe off (get out of the body), your foot (soul) will probably be irreparably damaged. Also, you can feel everything that happens to the rubber – your body is so connected to your soul, that you feel bodily pain as if it were a direct attack on your soul.

"When a body dies normally, the soul usually travels to the afterlife or stays on Earth, but it is not damaged. If you are a Possessor, your soul immediately tries to inhabit other bodies.

"When you are the subject of a Greater Binding, your soul is trapped inside your body. After death, your soul stays there. As your body deteriorates, so does your soul. Your soul will never rest. It is destined to be destroyed. If you are lucky, your body is destroyed at the time of your death and it is over. If not, your soul will be tortured for years, decades, centuries, or even millennia.

"If the Binding is weak enough, the bond can sometimes be broken through massive pain, but the body usually dies in the process while the soul is severely damaged.

"Any questions, Kagetora-sama?"

"…"

"Speechless for once? How nice." Chiaki said sarcastically.

"So he's trapped in his body and his soul will die?" Kagetora asked.

"Yes."

"He won't come back?" Kagetora pushed, sounding slightly agitated.

"No."

"I'll never see him again?" Kagetora's voice was weak and quiet.

"…"

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Kagetora asked in desperation.

"Well…" Haruie started, "we aren't sure how strong they bound him, but even if it IS a weak bond, there is no guarantee that we can break it without killing him."

"But you said that his soul would die anyway, right? So what's the difference? We have to try!"

"…it's up to him. We can't force him to…" Haruie explained

"Wouldn't want to help him out if he doesn't want it, would we? It would be wrong to do anything against his will, wouldn't it? Fuck that! We're helping him whether he likes it or not!" Kagetora yelled.

"…he did it for you. The least you could do is think about what he wants!" Chiaki told him.

Kagetora seethed, but relaxed when he thought about it for a minute. "You're right. We'll ask him. But first, shouldn't we determine if it is even possible to help him?"

Chiaki and Haruie nodded to him and then each other and walked toward Naoe…

TBC…

Author's Note: I hope this wasn't too bad or too weird. I'm sorry for the weird explanation. It came to me at 5:00 in the morning and I jotted it down. Please tell me if the story and the different types of bonds make sense!


End file.
